The World of Apples

Apples of South Africa

3 varieties in the atlas came from South Africa. The oldest is Tropical Beauty, dated about 1930.

Map of where the apple varieties in the atlas came from A map of the world on the Equal Earth projection, with a dot for each variety at its place of origin.

Harvest

South Africa grew 1,327,545 tonnes of apples in 2024, 1.4% of the world's harvest; it ranked 11th among the world's producers.1

1961 2024
The figures
YearTonnes
2024 1,327,545
2023 1,198,897
2022 1,231,867
2021 1,148,771
2020 998,785
2019 895,399
2018 829,636
2017 929,028
2016 916,143
2015 934,375
2014 777,741
2013 903,843
2012 795,758
2011 781,124
2010 724,232
2009 817,698
2008 778,141
2007 708,430
2006 633,495
2005 678,842
2004 765,359
2003 817,167
2002 623,307
2001 615,794
2000 601,966
1999 623,676
1998 576,264
1997 538,434
1996 616,521
1995 512,460
1994 550,901
1993 595,483
1992 521,421
1991 515,074
1990 430,344
1989 508,202
1988 554,742
1987 391,556
1986 439,836
1985 402,231
1984 483,696
1983 359,547
1982 460,987
1981 394,164
1980 426,430
1979 363,464
1978 381,429
1977 281,373
1976 371,019
1975 355,683
1974 283,613
1973 283,891
1972 317,737
1971 243,170
1970 222,255
1969 207,502
1968 212,054
1967 183,294
1966 190,756
1965 139,035
1964 149,158
1963 116,240
1962 105,931
1961 95,844

Growing regions

  • The Langkloof A 160 km valley of apples and pears behind the Tsitsikamma coast
  • Elgin and Ceres The two Western Cape districts that hold more than three quarters of South Africa's apple orchards

Varieties from South Africa in the catalogue, A to Z

Sources

  1. FAOSTAT: Production: Crops and livestock products, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Updated 31 December 2025. Supports: each country's apple harvest by year (item 515, apples, in tonnes, 1961 to 2024), the shares of the world's harvest and the ranks worked out from them, and which figures FAOSTAT estimated or imputed.